Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 05/01/2012 In a dystopian future in which the U.S. is a monarchy, 35 young women are randomly selected to be on a reality-TV competition to win the heart of Prince Maxon, heir to the throne. It’s a caste-driven society, where people are ranked from One (royalty) to Eight (untouchables), and poverty, famine, and ignorance are the fate of those ranked Six and below. America Singer, a Five with tremendous musical gifts, ends up as one of the contestants but has no desire to become queen, as she’s in love with Aspen, the Five next door. Cass’ immensely readable debut novel is a less drastic Hunger Games (2008), with elaborate fashions and trappings. America is torn between Aspen and Maxon, who she discovers really is a nice guy. The book is clearly pitched for romance readers, and the fast-paced action and comforting predictability of the love story will have readers gasping for the upcoming sequel, in which our heroine will continue to grapple with her intense feelings for her two suitors and her growing awareness of the messy political happenings in her country. - Copyright 2012 Booklist.

Bulletin for the Center... - 06/01/2012 Thirty-five girls are randomly selected to compete for Prince Maxon’s hand in marriage and the opportunity to become Queen of Illéa, a dystopian society founded on a strict caste system. As one of the selected, seventeen-year-old America has the chance to elevate her family from the struggling poverty of level Five to the royal luxury of a One; she has no real interest in winning the competition, however, as her heart belongs to her childhood sweetheart, Aspen (a lowly level Six). Pressure from her family, a falling out with Aspen, and the fact that the prince turns out to be both good looking and charming make her reconsider her options as she stays in the palace with the other contestants. A slight, predictable plot and superficial characterizations straight from central casting give little depth to this series opener. Vague references to rebel forces and unrest in the country’s provinces add a bit of tension, but the focus remains firmly on America’s relationships with the two male leads, who offer so little in regards to either romance or wit that readers will surely question America’s insistent interest in them. America herself is likable primarily for her sweetness, but her handwringing over her romantic prospects and her reluctance to even question the selection process make her seem more insipid than genuine. Thankfully, the author avoids the backstabbing and catfights that one might expect from such a Bachelor-like premise, but the other contestants are afforded little more than a single defining characteristic. Readers looking for love in a hopeless place will be better served by Lauren Oliver’s Delirium (BCCB 2/11) and Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies trilogy (BCCB 2/05). KQG - Copyright 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

School Library Journal - 06/01/2012 Gr 8 Up—Reminiscent of Shannon Hale's Princess Academy (Bloomsbury, 2005) and Ally Condie's Matched (Dutton, 2010), Cass's debut novel weaves an engrossing tale of high-stakes competition and the emotional turmoil of being true to oneself. In this first installment of a dystopian trilogy, fiery-haired beauty America Singer, 17, meets all the criteria to enter the lottery of a lifetime, a reality-TV-type competition for Prince Maxon's hand in marriage. Her mother believes that she has what it takes to prevail, but America wants nothing to do with the prince. She has secretly been seeing Aspen, whose family members have been servants and friends to the Singers for years. Grappling with her family's socioeconomic status and the impact of the caste system's prejudice on her star-crossed love, America finally concedes to enter the lottery and earns a spot among the lucky 35 contenders, every girl's desire-except for America herself. The sincere prose conveys her minimalist character and reluctance to compete for the affections of a stranger. Fairy-tale lovers will lose themselves in America's alternate reality and wish that the next glamorous sequel were waiting for them.—Jamie-Lee Schombs, Library Journal HC - Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.